World Stamp Show NY Commemorative Sheet

The Channel Islands, including the beautiful small island of Guernsey, are home to famous breeds of dairy cows, which bear their names - Alderney, Guernsey, and Jersey.

It is generally thought that the true origins of the Guernsey breed lie in the development of cattle that were imported to the island from the nearby French mainland. The cattle eventually became known as Guernseys when the Royal Guernsey Agricultural Society was formed in 1817, with the specific aim of preserving the beauty of Guernsey cattle.

Guernseys were first imported to the United States by two schooner captains in the 1830s and 1840s. Impressed by the quality of the breed’s dairy products, Captain Prince brought the first Guernseys back to his home in Boston. Three Alderneys were brought to New York and Captain Prince’s two heifers and bull from Guernsey became the basis of the American Guernsey herd.